Is an EU Army in the Works?

The big debate in the UK right now is whether or not to leave the European Union. There’s a referendum planned for June 23, and right now a massive political storm is under way as both sides try to make their case. President Obama is also getting involved, arguing that the best option is for Britain to remain in the political union. Personally, I think that’s a bit hypocritical. Would he be happy for the USA to join an American Union, where Congress could be over-ruled by an American Parliament sitting in Buenos Aires? I have my doubts about that, and I can imagine the fury from the people of the USA if he even suggested it. So, if it’s a bad idea for the USA, why is it a good idea for Britain?

It’s probably obvious already that I think the UK should take back its independence. Yes I do, for many reasons, but mainly because I can see the way the EU is going. Its long-term aim is to become a single nation with a population of about half a billion; the member states will be reduced to regions in a federal structure. This ambition would be pretty obvious anyway from the way the EU’s leaders are draping themselves in the trappings of nationhood – a flag, a national anthem, even a standard passport design that’s now used by 28 different countries and has “European Union” on the top line of the cover. But even if it wasn’t obvious from these symbolic acts, it’s written down for all to see in the European treaties – a commitment to “ever closer union.” The only possible end point of that is a single nation, and of course a nation needs an army.

A lot of the EU’s supporters deny that there are any plans for a European Army, despite the fact that a whole list of senior politicians – including the president of the European Commission, the most powerful man in the EU – have openly called for one. They claim that, at most, the aim is closer defense cooperation just like NATO. I don’t buy that for a moment. If the EU wants a defense alliance like NATO, it already has one – NATO! Every EU member is a member of either Partnership for Peace or NATO itself; there’s no need to set up another “cooperation” system. In fact, the EU’s plans are a lot more ambitious – and they’re already being put into effect.

Right now, although they’ll deny this if anyone asks, the Netherlands is basically abolishing its army. It isn’t sacking the soldiers though; they’re just joining the German army. Holland only has a single tank company and it’s currently becoming 4 Company of 414 Panzerbattalion – a German unit. Technically, the whole battalion will be under Dutch command because it’s now part of 43rd (Netherlands) Mechanized Brigade, but 43rd Mechanized is in turn part of 1.Panzerdivision “Die Erste”, headquartered in Oldenburg. A German division.

So, from now on, Dutch tankers will be driving German tanks – something that hasn’t happened since 23.SS-Panzergrenadierdivision “Nederland” was wiped out east of Berlin in April 1945. The tankers are in the same position as the 11th Dutch Airmobile Brigade, which in 2014 quietly became part of the German Airborne Division Schnelle Kräfte. Now, only one of the Dutch Army’s three brigades remains under Dutch command; the other two are part of the Bundeswehr.

The EU’s leaders aren’t quite stupid enough to announce that they want a European army; they know the public would never go for it. Instead, this is how it will continue to happen – in small steps. The Germans plan to transfer control of their marine infantry to the Dutch Navy; the Dutch Navy’s largest ship, the amphibious support ship HNLMS Karel Doorman, is already officially “shared” by the two nations. The next phase is for the last Netherlands brigade, 13th Light, to also come under German command. Now the Czech Republic is negotiating with Berlin to integrate its own forces with the Dutch-German combined military.

Then what? One of the EU’s openly stated objectives is to hand a huge budget to the European Defence Agency. That will be paid by the member states and used to develop new equipment. Any bets on that equipment being available to armies that stubbornly remain independent? No, I didn’t think so either. A combination of stick and carrot will be used to force Europe’s militaries into the German-dominated “cooperation,” while Berlin in turn gradually hands control of the whole thing to Brussels.

No thank you. We’ve had a German-dominated joint European military before. It was declared a criminal organization at the Nuremburg Trials.

Disclaimer: The content in this article is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of US Patriot Tactical.

Fergus Mason grew up in the west of Scotland. After attending university he spent 14 years in the British Army and served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Iraq. Afterwards, he went to Afghanistan as a contractor, where he worked in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Camp Leatherneck. He now writes on a variety of topics including current affairs and military matters.

Fergus Mason grew up in the west of Scotland. After attending university he spent 14 years in the British Army and served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Iraq. Afterwards, he went to Afghanistan as a contractor, where he worked in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Camp Leatherneck. He now writes on a variety of topics including current affairs and military matters.

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1 thought on “Is an EU Army in the Works?”

“One of the EU’s openly stated objectives is to hand a huge budget to the European Defence Agency. That will be paid by the member states and used to develop new equipment. Any bets on that equipment being available to armies that stubbornly remain independent?”

But will that equipment be:
a) good
b) affordable
c) designed by serial compromise in committee and overpriced junk?

The Eurofighter suggests that while good is achievable, it will be late, massively over budget (and require the UK to unfuck the design along the way)